The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) conducts surveys of postsecondary students to inform policymakers and the general public on a variety of issues facing higher education in the United States. An American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) researcher prepared this brief using data from NCES's Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study: 2000-2001 (B&B study), a nationally representative sample of students who completed their baccalaureate during the 1999-2000 academic year. NCES interviewed the graduates twice, once during the 1999-2000 school year and again in 2001, after they had received their degree. NCES captured information in the following areas: demographics; career, work, and family aspirations; and borrowing and debt. An AACC researcher examined the NCES data by dividing the students into categories based on their community college attendance. AACC sought to reveal potential differences among students who attended community college at any time during their undergraduate career and those who did not. Students who attended community college en route to the baccalaureate differed demographically from students who did not attend community college. In particular, they were older, were more likely to finish the baccalaureate as an independent student, were more likely to be married (and have dependents), and were more likely to view themselves as employees rather than as students. Community college attenders incurred lower debt levels in their pursuit of a baccalaureate; however, the amount of total borrowing of community college attenders and the non-community college attenders was similar. In spite of the demographic differences between community college attenders and non-community college attenders, after receiving the baccalaureate the student groups appeared similar in their work, educational aspirations, and financial situations. (Contains 9 figures.)

plus-circle Add Review

comment

Reviews